I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on theFoundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we'vereceived from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and CommunityEngagement.

*I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/Updates>, and would be happyto answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*

Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a smallfundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsoredposts, served in English to people in the United States, that will directusers to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing pages.

Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people whofind value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’smission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way fornonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, andwe’re excited to dip our toes into this.

Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involveexperiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hopeto answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messagingperform when presented on another site? It will also examine how ourappeals perform across demographic and interest groups.

*Where will the ads appear?*

This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls contentthat appears in the news feed of Facebook users.

They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appearwithin the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.(Instagram is a Facebook property.)

They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appearalongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that usersexpect from Facebook and Instagram.

*How will you target your ads?*

In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country(U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respondparticularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and frequentconsumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reportedinformation about educational achievement, news readership, andphilanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. Inaddition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing effectivenessacross other characteristics - age, gender, etc.

A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn* whetherthere are any demographic differences in how people respond to ourmessaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who ismore likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group aboutwhat to do with that knowledge.

*Can users opt out?*

Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest tothem. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to notannoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.

*Who is working on this?*

Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications torun this test. The promotion and measurement of ads is being managed by asmall company called Middle Seat.

*Will you keep us in the loop?*

Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so far.

Stay tuned for more updates!

sam

-----------------------

*Possible target audiences:*

*STUDENTS & EDUCATORS**How likely to donate are current students and educators?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Current students above high school level and educators based onself-reported “job title”Reach: 1,000,000+

Does this involve paying Facebook and Instagram?If so, how much is being allocated that part of this pilot?

IIRC, at least Facebook has a separate program for non-profits, butthey didnt offer ads for non-profits at reduced rates as part of thatprogram.

What targets have been set to evaluate whether this pilot will beconsidered successful?If it is just to *learn* about potential demographics, I fear thatmost of the knowledge gained will already have been publishedpreviously by other non-profits who've tried similar.

I cant help but notice that you mentioned the work will be done byMiddle Seat <http://middleseat.co/>, and not that it is former staffmember Zack Exley's company.Is there a requirement that this consulting job will culminate in apublished and openly licensed report by Middle Seat?

Regards,John

Post by Samuel PattonHi everyone,I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on theFoundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we'vereceived from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and CommunityEngagement.*I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/Updates>, and would be happyto answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a smallfundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsoredposts, served in English to people in the United States, that will directusers to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing pages.Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people whofind value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’smission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way fornonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, andwe’re excited to dip our toes into this.Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involveexperiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hopeto answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messagingperform when presented on another site? It will also examine how ourappeals perform across demographic and interest groups.*Where will the ads appear?*This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls contentthat appears in the news feed of Facebook users.They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appearwithin the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.(Instagram is a Facebook property.)They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appearalongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that usersexpect from Facebook and Instagram.*How will you target your ads?*In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country(U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respondparticularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and frequentconsumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reportedinformation about educational achievement, news readership, andphilanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. Inaddition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing effectivenessacross other characteristics - age, gender, etc.A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn* whetherthere are any demographic differences in how people respond to ourmessaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who ismore likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group aboutwhat to do with that knowledge.*Can users opt out?*Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest tothem. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to notannoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.*Who is working on this?*Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications torun this test. The promotion and measurement of ads is being managed by asmall company called Middle Seat.*Will you keep us in the loop?*Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so far.Stay tuned for more updates!sam-----------------------*Possible target audiences:**STUDENTS & EDUCATORS**How likely to donate are current students and educators?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Current students above high school level and educators based onself-reported “job title”Reach: 1,000,000+*PHILANTHROPISTS**How likely to donate are Facebook users interested in both philanthropyand donating to charitable causes?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Facebook users with self-reported interests in philanthropy anddonating to charityReach: ~460,000*NEWS READERS**How likely to donate are Facebook users whose behavior suggests they’redaily news consumers?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Facebook users with interests and behavior that suggests daily newsconsumptionReach: ~1,000,000_______________________________________________Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l

Hi, John. Thanks for taking the time to share your questions, and I'm happyto answer them. I've included your original questions and my answers inline:

*Does this involve paying Facebook and Instagram? If so, how much is beingallocated that part of this pilot?*Yes; we’ll pay a cost per click, or per impressions, for these ads. We’veallocated $5,000 USD for this experiment.

*What targets have been set to evaluate whether this pilot will beconsidered successful?*The ultimate goal of running an ads program would be 100% ROI; $2 raisedfor every $1 spent. We will also be able to compare ROI with that of ourexisting payment processors and determine if Facebook helps increase ourefficiency. But we have no expectations because we don’t yet have data. Forthe purpose of this experiment, we simply want to establish benchmarks thatcould guide further testing. That being said, our online fundraising modelis entirely built around a/b iterative testing, and we'll employ thoseprinciples in this pilot.

*If it is just to *learn* about potential demographics, I fear that most ofthe knowledge gained will already have been published previously by othernon-profits who've tried similar.*

A fair point, though I’d note that, as far as our banners and emails, ‘ourdonors don’t always behave like other donors.’ The copy, design, and askamounts that work for us do not track exactly with the experiences of othernon-profit peers, whom we also monitor and consult.

If the ROI is favorable, it also gives us the opportunity to engage a newset of Wikipedia users. This new medium opens the possibility to get newdonors on our list, and educate more people about the Foundation and themovement.

*I cant help but notice that you mentioned the work will be done by MiddleSeat <http://middleseat.co/ <http://middleseat.co/>>, and not that it isformer staff member Zack Exley's company. Is there a requirement that thisconsulting job will culminate in a published and openly licensed report byMiddle Seat?*

Zack Exley is not directly involved in this experiment, though he is afounding member of Middle Seat. We’re working with Middle Seat to tap intotheir expertise in social advertising and targeting, but all contentapproval and reporting will be handled by the Foundation in keeping withour established best practices.

I appreciate your scrutiny and the chance to offer some more clarity onthis test.

regards,sam

Post by John Mark VandenbergHi Sam,Does this involve paying Facebook and Instagram?If so, how much is being allocated that part of this pilot?IIRC, at least Facebook has a separate program for non-profits, butthey didnt offer ads for non-profits at reduced rates as part of thatprogram.What targets have been set to evaluate whether this pilot will beconsidered successful?If it is just to *learn* about potential demographics, I fear thatmost of the knowledge gained will already have been publishedpreviously by other non-profits who've tried similar.I cant help but notice that you mentioned the work will be done byMiddle Seat <http://middleseat.co/>, and not that it is former staffmember Zack Exley's company.Is there a requirement that this consulting job will culminate in apublished and openly licensed report by Middle Seat?Regards,John

Post by Samuel PattonHi everyone,I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on theFoundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we'vereceived from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and CommunityEngagement.*I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/Updates>, and would be

happy

Post by Samuel Pattonto answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a

small

Post by Samuel Pattonfundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsoredposts, served in English to people in the United States, that will directusers to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing

Post by Samuel Pattonfind value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’smission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way

for

Post by Samuel Pattonnonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, andwe’re excited to dip our toes into this.Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involveexperiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hopeto answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messagingperform when presented on another site? It will also examine how ourappeals perform across demographic and interest groups.*Where will the ads appear?*This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls

content

Post by Samuel Pattonthat appears in the news feed of Facebook users.They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appearwithin the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.(Instagram is a Facebook property.)They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appearalongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that usersexpect from Facebook and Instagram.*How will you target your ads?*In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country(U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respondparticularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and

frequent

Post by Samuel Pattonconsumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reportedinformation about educational achievement, news readership, andphilanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. Inaddition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing effectivenessacross other characteristics - age, gender, etc.A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn*

whether

Post by Samuel Pattonthere are any demographic differences in how people respond to ourmessaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who ismore likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group aboutwhat to do with that knowledge.*Can users opt out?*Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest tothem. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to

not

Post by Samuel Pattonannoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.*Who is working on this?*Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications

to

Post by Samuel Pattonrun this test. The promotion and measurement of ads is being managed by asmall company called Middle Seat.*Will you keep us in the loop?*Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so

far.

Post by Samuel PattonStay tuned for more updates!sam-----------------------*Possible target audiences:**STUDENTS & EDUCATORS**How likely to donate are current students and educators?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Current students above high school level and educators based onself-reported “job title”Reach: 1,000,000+*PHILANTHROPISTS**How likely to donate are Facebook users interested in both philanthropyand donating to charitable causes?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Facebook users with self-reported interests in philanthropy anddonating to charityReach: ~460,000*NEWS READERS**How likely to donate are Facebook users whose behavior suggests they’redaily news consumers?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Facebook users with interests and behavior that suggests daily

Interesting experiment. Can you provide versions of the fundraisernotifications so people can provide feedback?

BestJames

Post by Samuel PattonHi, John. Thanks for taking the time to share your questions, and I'm happy*Does this involve paying Facebook and Instagram? If so, how much is beingallocated that part of this pilot?*Yes; we’ll pay a cost per click, or per impressions, for these ads. We’veallocated $5,000 USD for this experiment.*What targets have been set to evaluate whether this pilot will beconsidered successful?*The ultimate goal of running an ads program would be 100% ROI; $2 raisedfor every $1 spent. We will also be able to compare ROI with that of ourexisting payment processors and determine if Facebook helps increase ourefficiency. But we have no expectations because we don’t yet have data. Forthe purpose of this experiment, we simply want to establish benchmarks thatcould guide further testing. That being said, our online fundraising modelis entirely built around a/b iterative testing, and we'll employ thoseprinciples in this pilot.*If it is just to *learn* about potential demographics, I fear that most ofthe knowledge gained will already have been published previously by othernon-profits who've tried similar.*A fair point, though I’d note that, as far as our banners and emails, ‘ourdonors don’t always behave like other donors.’ The copy, design, and askamounts that work for us do not track exactly with the experiences of othernon-profit peers, whom we also monitor and consult.If the ROI is favorable, it also gives us the opportunity to engage a newset of Wikipedia users. This new medium opens the possibility to get newdonors on our list, and educate more people about the Foundation and themovement.*I cant help but notice that you mentioned the work will be done by MiddleSeat <http://middleseat.co/ <http://middleseat.co/>>, and not that it isformer staff member Zack Exley's company. Is there a requirement that thisconsulting job will culminate in a published and openly licensed report byMiddle Seat?*Zack Exley is not directly involved in this experiment, though he is afounding member of Middle Seat. We’re working with Middle Seat to tap intotheir expertise in social advertising and targeting, but all contentapproval and reporting will be handled by the Foundation in keeping withour established best practices.I appreciate your scrutiny and the chance to offer some more clarity onthis test.regards,sam

Post by John Mark VandenbergHi Sam,Does this involve paying Facebook and Instagram?If so, how much is being allocated that part of this pilot?IIRC, at least Facebook has a separate program for non-profits, butthey didnt offer ads for non-profits at reduced rates as part of thatprogram.What targets have been set to evaluate whether this pilot will beconsidered successful?If it is just to *learn* about potential demographics, I fear thatmost of the knowledge gained will already have been publishedpreviously by other non-profits who've tried similar.I cant help but notice that you mentioned the work will be done byMiddle Seat <http://middleseat.co/>, and not that it is former staffmember Zack Exley's company.Is there a requirement that this consulting job will culminate in apublished and openly licensed report by Middle Seat?Regards,John

Post by Samuel PattonHi everyone,I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on theFoundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we'vereceived from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and CommunityEngagement.*I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/Updates>, and would be

happy

Post by Samuel Pattonto answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a

Post by Samuel Pattonto answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messagingperform when presented on another site? It will also examine how ourappeals perform across demographic and interest groups.*Where will the ads appear?*This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls

content

Post by Samuel Pattonthat appears in the news feed of Facebook users.They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appearwithin the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.(Instagram is a Facebook property.)They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appearalongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that usersexpect from Facebook and Instagram.*How will you target your ads?*In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country(U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respondparticularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and

Post by Samuel Pattonacross other characteristics - age, gender, etc.A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn*

whether

Post by Samuel Pattonthere are any demographic differences in how people respond to ourmessaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who ismore likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group

Post by Samuel Pattonwhat to do with that knowledge.*Can users opt out?*Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest tothem. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to

not

Post by Samuel Pattonannoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.*Who is working on this?*Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications

Post by Samuel Pattonsmall company called Middle Seat.*Will you keep us in the loop?*Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so

far.

Post by Samuel PattonStay tuned for more updates!sam-----------------------*Possible target audiences:**STUDENTS & EDUCATORS**How likely to donate are current students and educators?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Current students above high school level and educators based onself-reported “job title”Reach: 1,000,000+*PHILANTHROPISTS**How likely to donate are Facebook users interested in both

Thanks Sam! Very interesting to see the WMF dip its toe into the water ofoff-Wikipedia fundraising for small gifts for the first time. :)

Out of interest are you planning to use Facebook's custom audiences tool toinclude (or possibly exclude) people who are already WMF donors?

(And, more of a movement strategy question than one aimed at the actualfundraising team - if this works, will WMF decide it's the only movementbody that is allowed to fundraising on Facebook, in the same way's itapproaches the on-wiki banners? :) )

Regards,

Chris

Post by Samuel PattonHi everyone,I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on theFoundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we'vereceived from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and CommunityEngagement.*I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/Updates>, and would be happyto answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a smallfundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsoredposts, served in English to people in the United States, that will directusers to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing pages.Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people whofind value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’smission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way fornonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, andwe’re excited to dip our toes into this.Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involveexperiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hopeto answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messagingperform when presented on another site? It will also examine how ourappeals perform across demographic and interest groups.*Where will the ads appear?*This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls contentthat appears in the news feed of Facebook users.They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appearwithin the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.(Instagram is a Facebook property.)They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appearalongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that usersexpect from Facebook and Instagram.*How will you target your ads?*In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country(U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respondparticularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and frequentconsumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reportedinformation about educational achievement, news readership, andphilanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. Inaddition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing effectivenessacross other characteristics - age, gender, etc.A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn* whetherthere are any demographic differences in how people respond to ourmessaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who ismore likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group aboutwhat to do with that knowledge.*Can users opt out?*Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest tothem. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to notannoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.*Who is working on this?*Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications torun this test. The promotion and measurement of ads is being managed by asmall company called Middle Seat.*Will you keep us in the loop?*Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so far.Stay tuned for more updates!sam-----------------------*Possible target audiences:**STUDENTS & EDUCATORS**How likely to donate are current students and educators?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Current students above high school level and educators based onself-reported “job title”Reach: 1,000,000+*PHILANTHROPISTS**How likely to donate are Facebook users interested in both philanthropyand donating to charitable causes?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Facebook users with self-reported interests in philanthropy anddonating to charityReach: ~460,000*NEWS READERS**How likely to donate are Facebook users whose behavior suggests they’redaily news consumers?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Facebook users with interests and behavior that suggests daily newsconsumptionReach: ~1,000,000_______________________________________________Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-lUnsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,

Hi all, I've received a bunch of great questions both on and off list. I'mreally happy to see how interested people are in this pilot. It is a newexperiment for us, too, and I hope the learnings will be beneficial to all.

I just wanted to send a quick note of acknowledgment because it's gettinglate in my timezone and I haven't had a chance to get answers to allquestions. I'll be back in touch next week with more info.

thank you,sam

Post by Chris KeatingThanks Sam! Very interesting to see the WMF dip its toe into the water ofoff-Wikipedia fundraising for small gifts for the first time. :)Out of interest are you planning to use Facebook's custom audiences tool toinclude (or possibly exclude) people who are already WMF donors?(And, more of a movement strategy question than one aimed at the actualfundraising team - if this works, will WMF decide it's the only movementbody that is allowed to fundraising on Facebook, in the same way's itapproaches the on-wiki banners? :) )Regards,Chris

Post by Samuel PattonHi everyone,I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on theFoundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we'vereceived from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and CommunityEngagement.*I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/Updates>, and would be

happy

Post by Samuel Pattonto answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a

small

Post by Samuel Pattonfundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsoredposts, served in English to people in the United States, that will directusers to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing

Post by Samuel Pattonfind value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’smission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way

for

Post by Samuel Pattonnonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, andwe’re excited to dip our toes into this.Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involveexperiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hopeto answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messagingperform when presented on another site? It will also examine how ourappeals perform across demographic and interest groups.*Where will the ads appear?*This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls

content

Post by Samuel Pattonthat appears in the news feed of Facebook users.They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appearwithin the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.(Instagram is a Facebook property.)They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appearalongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that usersexpect from Facebook and Instagram.*How will you target your ads?*In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country(U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respondparticularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and

frequent

Post by Samuel Pattonconsumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reportedinformation about educational achievement, news readership, andphilanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. Inaddition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing effectivenessacross other characteristics - age, gender, etc.A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn*

whether

Post by Samuel Pattonthere are any demographic differences in how people respond to ourmessaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who ismore likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group aboutwhat to do with that knowledge.*Can users opt out?*Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest tothem. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to

not

Post by Samuel Pattonannoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.*Who is working on this?*Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications

to

Post by Samuel Pattonrun this test. The promotion and measurement of ads is being managed by asmall company called Middle Seat.*Will you keep us in the loop?*Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so far.Stay tuned for more updates!sam-----------------------*Possible target audiences:**STUDENTS & EDUCATORS**How likely to donate are current students and educators?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Current students above high school level and educators based onself-reported “job title”Reach: 1,000,000+*PHILANTHROPISTS**How likely to donate are Facebook users interested in both philanthropyand donating to charitable causes?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Facebook users with self-reported interests in philanthropy anddonating to charityReach: ~460,000*NEWS READERS**How likely to donate are Facebook users whose behavior suggests they’redaily news consumers?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Facebook users with interests and behavior that suggests daily

Hi all, apologies as I'm a bit behind schedule in answering the last roundof questions. We ended up taking a few extra days to get the details of theprogram right, and launched this ads experiment on Wednesday, July 12th. Iposted an update today to our meta page for this experiment<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/Updates/FBAdsExperiment>, butwe don't have any conclusions, yet, due to our late launch.

Here are the questions I saw:

*James Heilman: Interesting experiment. Can you provide versions of thefundraiser notifications so people can provide feedback?*

Sure. Our first ad group uses the same image of Jimmy Wales, with twodifferent sets of copy. You can see screenshots of the two ads on our metapage <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/Updates/FBAdsExperiment>.If anyone has suggestions for content that you think might motivate newdonors, let me know. It's particularly difficult to come up withrepresentative images. Jimmy appeared in our banners for a while, so wedecided to start there.

*Chris Keating: Out of interest are you planning to use Facebook's customaudiences tool to include (or possibly exclude) people who are already WMFdonors?*This was a big discussion topic before we launched this pilot project. Weare not currently suppressing or targeting ads to our donor list, but wewill revisit this option and it's pros and cons if we decide to keeptesting ads.

*Also from Chris: (And, more of a movement strategy question than one aimedat the actual fundraising team - if this works, will WMF decide it's theonly movement body that is allowed to fundraising on Facebook, in the sameway's it approaches the on-wiki banners? :) )*

Yeah, I can’t answer that :)

Hope everyone has good weekends,sam

Post by Samuel PattonHi all, I've received a bunch of great questions both on and off list. I'mreally happy to see how interested people are in this pilot. It is a newexperiment for us, too, and I hope the learnings will be beneficial to all.I just wanted to send a quick note of acknowledgment because it's gettinglate in my timezone and I haven't had a chance to get answers to allquestions. I'll be back in touch next week with more info.thank you,sam

Post by Chris KeatingThanks Sam! Very interesting to see the WMF dip its toe into the water ofoff-Wikipedia fundraising for small gifts for the first time. :)Out of interest are you planning to use Facebook's custom audiences tool toinclude (or possibly exclude) people who are already WMF donors?(And, more of a movement strategy question than one aimed at the actualfundraising team - if this works, will WMF decide it's the only movementbody that is allowed to fundraising on Facebook, in the same way's itapproaches the on-wiki banners? :) )Regards,Chris

Post by Samuel PattonHi everyone,I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on theFoundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we'vereceived from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and CommunityEngagement.*I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fundraising/Updates>, and would be

happy

Post by Samuel Pattonto answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a

small

Post by Samuel Pattonfundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsoredposts, served in English to people in the United States, that will

Post by Samuel Pattonwe’re excited to dip our toes into this.Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involveexperiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We

hope

Post by Samuel Pattonto answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messagingperform when presented on another site? It will also examine how ourappeals perform across demographic and interest groups.*Where will the ads appear?*This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls

content

Post by Samuel Pattonthat appears in the news feed of Facebook users.They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appearwithin the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.(Instagram is a Facebook property.)They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appearalongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that usersexpect from Facebook and Instagram.*How will you target your ads?*In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country(U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respondparticularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and

frequent

Post by Samuel Pattonconsumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reportedinformation about educational achievement, news readership, andphilanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. Inaddition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing

effectiveness

Post by Samuel Pattonacross other characteristics - age, gender, etc.A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn*

whether

Post by Samuel Pattonthere are any demographic differences in how people respond to ourmessaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who ismore likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group aboutwhat to do with that knowledge.*Can users opt out?*Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest tothem. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to

not

Post by Samuel Pattonannoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.*Who is working on this?*Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications

Post by Samuel Pattonsmall company called Middle Seat.*Will you keep us in the loop?*Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so far.Stay tuned for more updates!sam-----------------------*Possible target audiences:**STUDENTS & EDUCATORS**How likely to donate are current students and educators?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Current students above high school level and educators based onself-reported “job title”Reach: 1,000,000+*PHILANTHROPISTS**How likely to donate are Facebook users interested in both philanthropyand donating to charitable causes?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Facebook users with self-reported interests in philanthropy anddonating to charityReach: ~460,000*NEWS READERS**How likely to donate are Facebook users whose behavior suggests they’redaily news consumers?*Age: 18 - 65+Target: Facebook users with interests and behavior that suggests daily